Damage to ligaments, such as anterior cruciate ligaments (ACL) and the posterior cruciate ligaments (PCL), cartilage, and tendons has become a relatively common occurrence and often requires surgical repair. Often, the ACL or the PCL is ruptured or torn as a result of physical activity and, consequently, various surgical procedures have been developed for replacing or reconstructing these ligaments.
The knee joint is often repaired by substituting a harvested or synthetic replacement ligament for the damaged one. Commonly, a substitute ligament or graft is inserted into tunnels reamed in the femur and tibia bones. Once anchored in place, the graft ligament is able to cooperate with the surrounding bone and tissues and thereby perform the functions of the damaged ACL or PCL.
Several methods and devices have been developed for fixating a graft or ligament or tendon into a bone tunnel. However, these known devices and techniques often require complicated implantation procedures or involve coordination of several discrete pieces. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,301 teaches a complicated draw string arrangement for securing a graft in a button-like footing. U.S. Pat. No. 6,562,071 features an anchoring member that requires a separate clamp member in order to secure it into a bone tunnel. Moreover, in ACL repair surgery, it is not typical that the bone tunnel be drilled perpendicular to the surface of the bone. Therefore, other known devices suffer from the problem that the anchoring device does not lie flush with the outer surface of the bone, creating a protuberance than can be problematic for the patient. For example, while the Figures in U.S. Pat. No. 6,283,996 illustrate the footing lying flush against the surface of the bone, this would not be the case in an actual surgical setting.
It is therefore desirable to have a fixation device for easily and securely fixating a tendon or ligament graft within a femoral tunnel. In addition, it is desirable to have a fixation device that lies flat against the outer surface of the bone so as to have a low profile.